3 Takeaways from Raiders' Week 3 Loss vs. Titans

This was supposed to be a breakthrough season for the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders made a postseason appearance in 2021, hired a new head coach in Josh McDaniels and added big-name playmakers Davante Adams and Chandler Jones during the offseason.

After Sunday's loss to the Tennessee Titans, however, it's clear that the Raiders are a very flawed football team.

A week ago, Las Vegas dropped an overtime heartbreaker to the Arizona Cardinals. The second-half collapse was bad. Sunday's loss was just as miserable, as the Raiders were dominated in the first half and couldn't do enough to spark their own comeback. They came close, but a failed two-point conversion attempt prevented overtime.

We haven't seen a full four quarters of solid football from the Raiders yet this season, and that's a huge problem. So is the 0-3 hole in which Las Vegas now finds itself. The good news is that every team in the AFC West has lost at least once, and there's still time to turn things around.

For that to happen, though, the Raiders must learn from their mistakes through the first three weeks. Here's what we learned from Sunday's 24-22 loss in Tennessee.

Let's start with a positive and something upon which the Raiders can build moving forward. The Raiders may have found themselves another playmaker for the 2022 season.

Davante Adams caught a touchdown for a third straight game but his connection with quarterback Derek Carr was off against Tennessee. He caught just five of 10 targets for 36 yards and a score. With Hunter Renfrow (concussion) out, Las Vegas needed another pass-catcher to emerge.

Mack Hollins did exactly that. The speedy North Carolina product showed flashes with the Miami Dolphins over the past couple of seasons but had his breakout on Sunday. He caught eight of 10 receptions for 158 yards and a touchdown.

Hollins' strong performance came a week after he caught five passes for 66 yards, suggesting Sunday was no fluke. Hollins can be a potent piece of the passing attack as long as he gets opportunities.

For the season, Hollins has 14 receptions for 240 yards and a touchdown. He has provided a passer rating of 133.1 when targeted, according to Pro Football Reference.

Along with Renfrow, Adams and tight end Darren Waller, Hollins gives Carr four dangerous receiving options. If the offense can find a little more of a rhythm, this is a group that will be tough to stop later in the season.

McDaniels knows that his Raiders tenure hasn't gotten off to a desirable start.

"Nobody likes losing," he said, per ESPN's Paul Gutierrez.

McDaniels had a closed-door meeting with franchise owner Mark Davis following Sunday's loss, which is an ominous sign for a first-year coach on a three-game losing streak. If McDaniels hopes to have a lengthy career in Las Vegas, he needs to start putting wins in the record books.

Play calling has been part of the problem over the last couple of weeks. The Raiders have been incredibly pass-heavy (121 pass attempts, 53 runs) this season, and it's been a detriment.

On Sunday, running back Josh Jacobs averaged 5.5 yards per carry in the first half but only saw six carries. He finished with 13 carries, 66 yards and a 5.1 yards-per-carry average.

The issue here is two-fold. For one, Jacobs (4.6 yards per carry) has been effective in running the ball in 2022. He needs to do it more. Secondly, Las Vegas' defense (24th in points allowed) has struggled to play consistently. Keeping it off of the field with long, sustained drives would be a huge benefit.

In the first half on Sunday, Las Vegas had just one drive longer than five minutes. The Titans, meanwhile, scored touchdowns on their first three possessions and added a field goal just before the break. Las Vegas' defense was much better in the second half, but the deficit was too big to overcome.

Right now, the Raiders' offense is far more unbalanced than a unit averaging 4.5 yards per carry should be.

Part of Las Vegas' problem defensively has been the lack of a consistent pass rush. The Raiders have just two sacks through three games and only got to Ryan Tannehill once on Sunday.

This is a problem with which Raiders fans are quite familiar—Las Vegas logged just 21 sacks in 2020 and 35 sacks last year. However, the signing of Jones was supposed to fix it.

Las Vegas inked the four-time Pro Bowler to a three-year, $51 million deal in free agency. He was expected to pair with Maxx Crosby to give the Raiders one of the league's top pass-rushing tandems. Yet, things haven't played out that way.

While Jones does have four quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Reference, he has yet to log a sack for Las Vegas. Yannick Ngakoue, who was traded to the Indianapolis Colts after Jones was signed, also has four quarterback pressures and notched his first sack on Sunday.

It's too early to call the Jones signing an outright bust. However, the Raiders have to wonder if their decision to replace Ngakoue with the 32-year-old Jones was a mistake. Dating back to last season, Jones has logged a mere two sacks in his last eight games.

Sacks don't tell the entire story when it comes to how pass-rushers impact the game, of course. However, Jones needs to start hitting home soon if he's going to justify his big free-agent deal.

*Contract information via Spotrac.